Thursday, December 13, 2007

Matty's Top 10 Picks of 2007

10. Smashing Pumpkins - ZeitgeistMany critics called this album a moneygrab but by listening totracks like 'Thats The Way (My Love Is)', it is evident that theheart of SP is in this production, even though James Iha andD'arcy didn't make the reunion. Highly touted and advertisedthrough MySpace blogs, this album actually has some depthand as the term 'Zeitgeist' defined tells us, the Pumpkins areback and not so introspective; they are taking notice of thecultural climate of the United States.9. Feist - The ReminderLeslie Feist follows up her first major release by topping hersundae of success with a cherry of musical delights. Though Iwish some of the tracks were less effects-heavy (i.e. soundinglike Feist is singing under a tunnel through a cardboard tube),The Reminder shows us that Leslie is out to remind us aboutthe meaning of love, sacrifice and truth.8. The New Pornographers - ChallengersThough Vancouver natives TNP struggle to make true art inthe face of critics wanting so eagerly to define them as a'supergroup', this album's climaxes seem a little prematureat times. Overall though, there are few on the market whocan construct such humm-able melodies as The New Porns.This album also showcases the talent of Neko Case a littlemore effectively than Twin Cinema.7. Kevin Drew - Spirit If...I can't even count the number of times I have read reviewswhere critics (especially in Canada) complain about theArts and Crafts label having 'carte blanche' on Canadian radio.My response is simply 'Show me another musical troupe thatrivals the passion and creativity of Drew and his band ofToronto nomads'. Though Drew tends to drool on himselfwith his stream of consciousness drivel, the end result of hissolo effort is satisfying and bright.6. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and GraceDavey G and the crew are back for another multiple guitartrack laden effort...and it's really friggin good. Though SPINMagazine panned this newest offering and actually referredto Grohl's career as 'fantastically average', I beg to differand suggest that SPIN needs to hire some new writers.Dave bookends his passion on every corner of this album,breaking away from the ultra-personal 'In Your Honour' tomore universal themes and never apologizing for rockingthe way he does.5. The Weakerthans - Reunion TourIt's really hard to hate a band from Winnipeg. It's evenharder to hate a hyper-talented band from Winnipeg whocan release albums almost four years apart and still commandsuch a massive listening audience. Reunion Tour is moreof the same from Stephen Carroll and the lads - vocal andguitar-driven hooks framed around interesting character-basedlyrics - but still somehow oddly different. That's the magicof The Weakerthans.4. Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild SoundtrackThough I'm not an Eddie fan, my wife asked me to downloadthis album and its bare-bones creative spool is incredibly hardto resist. The simplicity of the songwriting makes youunderstand the characters of a film without actually seeingthe end product (although I did see it). Songs like 'Rise Up'pull you into the instrumentally eclectic and ever contemplativefeel of this hats-off creation from Vedder.3. The Apostle Of Hustle - National Anthem Of NowhereI don't know if there is a band as original sounding as TheApostle, these days, in ALL of music. I'm actually not kidding. Ijust got a chance to see these guys live in the Nation's Capital(that's Ottawa...not Vancouver or Toronto, folks) and they blewthe stage to bits with just three performers. Half Cuban andHalf Canadian, Andrew Whiteman writes songs that harnesslatin rhythms and blend them into an indie soundscape. Nomatter who you are, Whiteman will have you singing his nationalanthem by the end of this disc.2. Bright Eyes - CassadagaMy friend Jon Adams can attest to the fact that even myplacing Bright Eyes on a list of favourites is a testament toConner Oberst's genius. Determined to hate them from theget-go, this LP won my soul over and displays the simple,clairvoyant sounds of a man trying to change his way. Thearrangement is nothing short of epiphanal.1. Stars - In Our Bedroom After The WarOf course I HAD to end on another album from Arts andCrafts (that's 4 out of 10 if you're counting. And NO - I donot work for Arts and Crafts. They are hypnotists. I wantmy brain back.) Torq Campbell and the lovely Amy Millanpull us through the fourth major offering from Stars. Basedon fictional caricatures of a war-torn city, the listener isdrawn into an ethereal world of riots, bomb threats andpeople just trying to define their existences. Stars havemanaged to take steps where other musicians don't dareand for that, I salute them. This album does not disappointfrom beginning to end.

23 Comments:

I also thought Zeitgeist was much better than it was given credit for though I don't think I could put it in my top ten. Good list, though. Check out ours:http://nothingquitelike.blogspot.com/2007/12/2007-in-review.html

I've been listening to that Spirit If...album like crazy lately. Had we done our best of list this week I probably would have put that on it. I'm pretty sure I ran across your blog from a link from www.largeheartedboy.com but I could be wrong.

Really enjoyed this list. Thanks for turning me onto some great records and sparing us all The Arcade Fire.

How's the list for 2008 shaping up? I have a contender for you anyway. Dieter Schöön's album Lablaza. It's being given a release this year outside of Sweden which is where Dieter is from. I am totally overwhelmed by it and thought you might enjoy it too.

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